It’s like Romeo and Juliet, except in Texas, and without the poisoning and the Romeo. Also, Juliet’s father goes crazy at the end and kills nearly everyone. OK, so it’s nothing like Romeo and Juliet. It’s still a horrendous tragedy between two families.

Jose Alfonso Aviles, 45, didn’t take kindly to his daughter being in a lesbian relationship with 24-year-old Norma Hurtado. Last night, Aviles and an unidentified Hispanic man drove to Hurtado’s home while Avile’s daughter was in the home.

The two men shot and killed Hurtado, and her 57-year-old mother, Maria Hurtado before driving away and leaving Avile’s daughter alone with the dead bodies of her girlfriend and her mother.

Police could not say whether the crime would be considered a hate crime, saying that issue would be up to the district attorney’s office.

Aviles was detained in the Bexar County jail this morning, a U.S. Marshals Service official said, adding that they were working on transferring to Travis County.

UPDATE: The Austin Police Department has released the names of the victims in Monday’s double homicide.

Norma Hurtado, 24, and Maria Hurtado, 57, were shot to death at their home in Southeast Austin, officials said.

EARLIER: A suspect in a double homicide in Southeast Austin was arrested early this morning in Bexar County and charged with capital murder, an Austin police official said today.

Jose Alfonso Aviles, 45, was arrested about 4:30 a.m. in San Antonio by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Police say Aviles fired multiple shots into a home at the 7100 block of Dixie Drive near Salt Springs Drive about 6:45 p.m. Monday, killing two adults who opened the front door, police have said. The names of the people who were shot have not been released.

The headline for this story has been changed to reflect that it was a witness, and not police, who said the killings were motivated by a lesbian relationship.

My God. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Norma and Maria Hurtado, as well as the surviving Aviles daughter, who watched as the family who embraced her were gunned down by the family who rejected her. I can’t remember a story ever giving me chills like this tragedy.

I cannot express enough my condolences to the poor girl who could not gain her fathers understanding and the awful wickedness that took these two lives. It is surely the worst type of hate crime ever. Again, I wish her the best and give my deepest condolences to the family of the victims. the Peanut Gallery

@ Unicorn Booty, your comparison to Romeo and Juliet and the funny kick of it is disrespectful and lack tact to probably the most tragic event in the survivor’s life, and the “so, so, so heartbreaking” caption on the picture doesn’t necessarily compensate with sensitivity but instead quite the opposite. This blog is so off.

Gillianne Rountree

Disgusting. Just…. disgusting.

Trenton Flock

From the comments below, I see that some are perplexed (or perturbed) by the refusal of the police to say that it was a hate crime. Officially, they can’t determine on their own what is and isn’t a hate crime. It seems pretty cut and dry, and they can conjecture that it will be charged as such, but they don’t have the authority to declare what the precise charges will be, and doing so could get them in a LOT of trouble. There may yet be bigotry in police departments, but I would not conclude from this that they are unsympathetic. The more careful they are with their words, the less chance there is of this monster getting off on a technicality.

I don’t think they’re trying to get a funny kick out of it. Likely they come across stuff like this more than the average person. A little humor can sometimes ease the blow of something so tragic. And though it may seem out of place, I believe they are wholly sympathetic to the lives lost and to their families.

Rosemary Freilinger

He sure didn’t do this as a supposed act of love for his daughter. It was definitely a hate crime and it shows how he hated his daughter also.

Rosemary Freilinger

He sure didn’t do this as a supposed act of love for his daughter. It was definitely a hate crime and it shows how he hated his daughter also.

cindy

This is a very sad, & traget story..Unfortunately there will be parents, that just don’t want to know, & now that the kid’s are coming out younger, & everyone says it’s ok you can come out of the closet …but none of us know what kind of parents we have to make sure these kids are safe..& or partners…we still have a long way to go…Be safe…

WillMoor

I have a friend who doesn’t believe there really is such a thing as hate crimes against gay people, and so she is bitterly opposed to demonstrations against anti-gay hate crimes, such as a day of silence. I am going to show her this article.

Luinne D’Llard

True true and true. I owe Kevin Farrell a fat lip. Not to mention that for his sake I hope that scum never gets out of prison– because if he does, some innocent person will kill him. And if someone else won’t, I’d be more than happy to. Rest in peace, ladies.

Amber C-f

Other sites are reporting the daughter was high school age. I am not sure what that means but I am pretty sure that many of us wouldn’t be so appalled if the daughter was fifteen and the mid-twenties suitor was a man. Just pointing out the potential confound to this story. Age may have played an equally important roll.